Star Online Report

BNP and it allies are observing the dawn-to-dusk hartal (Shutdown) amid stray incidents at different parts in the country on Thursday.

Twenty five people were picked up and 22 vehicles vandalised since morning, reports our correspondents from different districts.

Besides, miscreants set fire to railway track in Comilla and vandalised five vehicles. In Kushtia tow shops were also vandalised during hartal

NARAYANGANJ

At least five people including Jubo Dal joint convener of city unit Rana Majid were injured when law enforcers charged batons to disperse a procession of Jubo Dal activists at the city’s Kalirbazar area around 6:00am.

Meanwhile, activists of Swechchhasebak Dal vandalised five vehicles in Kashimpur of Fatulla around 7:00am.

Pickets blockaded Dhaka-Narayanganj highway by burning tyres.

Police picked up 15 people including Jubo Dal convener Maksudul Alam Khandakar Khorshed from different parts in the city for their alleged involvement in anarchy during the hartal, said Ashrafuzzaman, additional superintendent of Police in Narayanganj.

COMILLA

Pickets set fire to railway tracks near Home signal and at a level crossing of Daulatganj Station around 7:30am, halting train service on Laksam-Noakhali route for two hours.

Dhaka-bound Upokul Express from Noakhali got stuck at Natherpetua Station following the disruption.

It started for destination around 9:30am after the railway tracks were repaired, said Masud Sarwar, transport inspector of Laksam Junction.

CHITTAGONG

Pro-hartal activists blasted a cocktail when police was dispersing a procession of BNP men in the city’s North Kaktali in Pahartali area around 9:30am.

None was injured during the explosion, said Abdur Rouf, officer-in-charge of Pahartali Police Station.

Police rounded up two pickets while trying to vandalise a vehicle at Muradpur in Panchlaish area around 8:30am, said Md Shahidullah, additional deputy commissioner (North) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police.

In pre-hartal violence, pickets vandalised two buses and torched three covered vans around 3:00am in Sitakunda, said Samiul Alam, OC of Sitakunda Police Station.

Pickets vandalised at least seven vehicles including an ambulance and exploded three cocktails on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway at Barabkunda in Sitakunda upazila around 4:15pm.

Law enforcers fired 10 rounds of bullet to disperse the pickets when the latter exploded the cocktails targeting them, said Syed Iqbal Ali, an assistant superintendent of police.

A chase and counter-chase took place between pro-hartal activists and law enforcers in front of Reba Rahman College in Ghoingarhat area when pickets were vandalising vehicles in the morning, the OC said.

Meanwhile, chases and counter-chases took place when the pro-hartal activists marched in procession defying police resistance before the district BNP office on Circular Road.

Police fired nine teargas shells to disperse the BNP men around 1:30pm.

RAJSHAHI

Police opened fires and dispersed a procession brought out by BNP leaders and activists in the city’s Malopara area around 8:00am.

No one was injured during the incident.

GAZIPUR

Some unruly Awami League men allegedly set fire to a BNP office in Tongi upazila, UNB reports.

Witnesses said AL activists thronged the entrance of the house of local lawmaker Jahid Hasan Rasel as they came to know that some miscreants had attacked his car and hurled crude bombs Wednesday night.

The AL men staged a demonstration protesting the attack and rushed to the BNP’s local unit office and set it ablaze at 1:00am.

Informed, firefighters came in and doused the flame.

KUSHTIA

The BNP-Jamaat activists vandalised seven vehicles including two trucks in Bara Bazar and Islamic University areas, said Shikdar Moshiur Rahman, OC of Kushtia Model Police Station.

They also vandalised two shops at Khoksa Bazar in the town.

Police rounded up eight pickets including Jubo Dal general secretary in town unit Monjurul Hasan Kuti and five Jamaat-Shibir activists from different areas for carrying out subversive activities in the town, the OC said.

BNP and Jamaat declared the hartal protesting what it said Wednesday’s attacks on it leaders and activists by armed ruling party men and police brutality.